Relapse
by Pioneer7
Summary: Casey just wanted to feel something different. Hurt!Casey & Caring!Brax Caring!Heath. Intense chapter you wont want to miss is up now!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 **Do people still write or read home and away anymore?  
This story is far from over. I miss Casey and the only fix is tearing my favorite character apart. Contains brief drug description and much angst.**

You could say Casey was a little lonely. Maybe a bit hurt. Scared. Stupid. Lonely. There was no one else. Just him and his angry thoughts on the cold bathroom floor. Perhaps it was his fault that he was here on the floor. Perhaps it was his punishment for jabbing that dirty needle into his vein, for rolling his eyes back in relief, for breaking his promise to Brax. Brax wouldn't want him anymore. Given the fact that Brax wasn't even his brother, this would be the final straw. Casey would be stuck forever alone with his thoughts whispering demonic insults. Casey's eyes drooped.

"No one wants me." His voice was dead. He considered fighting the impending darkness the needle provided, he considered waiting his way on the cold bathroom floor. But who would miss him? He felt himself sinking further into the wall. The effects were different than before. The drugs in his system were not fireworks in his veins, or smiles in his brain. They were painful. Scrapping their way through his throat, clawing at his eye sockets until he was bleeding on the inside. Casey let out a cry, his arms paralyzed. This was a mistake. A huge mistake. A very big unmistakable eye opening drowning in the sea mistake.

"Br'x." Casey choked out. His throat was closing in on itself and his chest heaved.

"Brax!" Casey tried again, dragging out each syllable the way the drugs were dragging his brain into corn meal. There was a pounding at the nape of his neck, a screaming behind his eyes.

"Case?" Brax's voice was hard to hear through the walls. "Casey. You alright?" There was a knock on the door.

"Case." Braxs voice was sterner now. In fact, Casey knew Brax's eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were nothing but a line.

"Br'x." Casey tried again. His voice still wasn't complying.

The door rattled violently, Brax shouting again. Casey had locked the door. Shit.

"Casey open this door! Case?" No response. "Casey!" Brax slammed his shoulder into the door. Why, of all doors, did the bathroom have to be the heaviest? Bad luck for Casey.

The tub was running, its blue tinted water overflowing and seeping onto the floor. The tub was Casey's mind, filled to bursting with unwanted and lifeless waste.  
His mind was foggy and suddenly he was drowning in it. Not drowning in the water, but drowning in his watery thoughts. Down down down. He slid to his side, his hands falling limp. Casey could hear more banging from the outside. Brax. Crying his name. Casey didn't want him. He heard a shout for Heath, or maybe a shout for himself, he couldn't tell. The pounding continued until it was inside his head.

"Casey! Casey hold on."

It was hard for Casey to find his way up. Was he on his back? Was he siting up? Where was up? Where was Brax? Brax. His brother.

"Br'x." Casey whined, pinned to the floor. Was he crying?

"Im coming Case, I'm coming." For some reason Casey could hear Brax muttering hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. But he couldn't hold on. He was sinking. He was too far out. The drugs had scratched their way to his chest. His heart hurt. He slipped into darkness.

Casey was semi aware of someone crying. Was he crying? His face was definitely wet. He could hear rushing water. Was he at the beach? Perhaps he had been surfing. No. For some reason he remembered it was a stormy day, very bad for surfing. Then he remembered a tub. A leaking tub filled to bursting. He was taking a bath. No. He had intended to drown himself. Why didn't it work?

"What the hell happened!" Casey didn't know.

"I don't know I just found him like this." Another voice answered from behind Casey. It wasn't Casey's mind. Who was this intruder?

"Case?" The intruder gripped Casey's jaw. "Casey!" The intruder shook him. Casey groaned and tried to pull away. His limbs wouldn't move. Casey groaned again.

"Casey?" The intruder was quieter, "Case can you hear me?"

There was a hand on his face now from this intruder. The hand was gruff. The hand was familiar. Brax. Brax was holding him.

"Case, wake up man!" Another hand slapped his face. Obviously Heath.

"Don't touch him!" Brax shouted. It hurt Casey's already pained head. He groaned again. Brax's face was probably bright red, his eyes wide with fear. It was misplaced.

"Case I need you to open your eyes for me." No response. "Case, show me your eyes."

"He tried to fucking kill himself!" Heath shouted, probably taking a swing at something but Casey still couldn't see. He couldn't open his eyes like Brax wanted. He could barely breathe.

"I'm sorry." Casey's mind whispered. He was going to die.

"Listen to me, Case you're not going to die." What? Could Brax hear him?

"I need you to open your eyes." More patting of the face. More shaking of the jaw. More coaxing and calming of Casey. But time passed slowly. Casey found it harder and harder to take a breath. He gasped in Brax's arms, his lungs sounding like a broken washing machine. His fists closed around what he believed was Heath's shirt and held on for literal life. Still blind, Casey could feel Heath's breath on his face. Lucky breathing Heath.

"Come on Case, you gotta breathe." No shit, Heath.

Casey writhed again, small whimpers escaping his chapped lips. He couldn't open his mouth! He couldn't open his eyes! The walls were closing in and Casey was suffocating.

"Stay with us, Case. Stay with us!" Brax was more frantic now, heaving Casey further up his chest. At some point Brax had begun rocking Casey like a child, but Casey couldn't remember. His mind was fuzzy again, Heath and Brax's voices only whispers in the wind. Someone was screaming for him. Someone was crying again. Casey heard rushing water once more. And then his eyes rolled back into his lifeless head.

 **I would like to know if this was a good story. PLEASE REVIEW**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **You guys are amazing, thank you for all the wonderful reviews!**

 **Just a heads up about this chapter, the POV is not in Casey's head since he's unconscious.**

 **SUGGESTION – for a more emotional read, listen to Whitaker's** ** _My Own_** **. I do not own this music.**

There was nothing but silence. You'd think it'd be loud, panicked even, the fact that Brax's baby brother was lying cold in his arms. You'd think Brax would hear Heath yelling "we have to do something". You'd think the sound of still rushing bath water would flood his ears. You'd think the soft whimpers of his dying baby brother would penetrate his stupor. But Brax was frozen. His arms were claws around Casey's chest. Heath couldn't touch him.  
"Brax we have to help him!" Heath cried.

"You've killed. You've killed him!" Brax screamed at himself. His face was beat red, just as Casey knew. His eyes were raw with tears, his voice groggy and puffy from crying. He rocked Casey back and forth, his hands gripping Casey's jaw and hugging him close to his chest. Brax thought it was all his fault. If only he'd been faster. If only he'd been kinder. If only he'd held his baby brother before.

"Brax come on, we gotta move!" Heath shook Brax's shoulders. Still no response. Brax was there, but his mind was nowhere to be found. He was drowning in his own thoughts just like Casey. Except it wasn't drugs that dug its rusty finger nails across the inside of his head, it was his own guilt stabbing forks behind his eyes. He just wanted to close his eyes. Where was Casey? Where was Casey!

"Brax!" Heath yelled again. Nothing. Heath shook his head and pushed Brax back and reached for Casey. His rough hands cradled the back of Casey's head.

"Come on, bud." He muttered, pulling Casey into his chest and away from Brax. Brax rarely struggled. He held a feeble grip onto Casey's shirt but Heath backed away. Brax was a broken stone on the cold bathroom floor.

"Don't do this to us, Case." Heath muttered into Casey's hair, moving his lanky form onto the couch. Casey sagged like a rag doll and laid limp on the faded cushions. The same horrid saying repeated in Heath's head, over and over again like Casey's stupid radio player.

The good die young. The good die young. The good die young.

"Shut up!" Heath pulled at his hair. What did he do? What the fuck did he do? He couldn't call for help, Casey would go back to Rehab. Or worse, jail.

"Case, you gotta wake up for us, man!" Heath knelt down next to Casey's head and took his hand. Strong, emotionless Heath took his baby brother's sweaty hand with tears in his eyes.

"Casey, you gotta open those dumb eyes. I don't know what to do. Brax-" Heath's choked on his words and the lump in his throat. "Brax needs ya. Please." His words hung in the air above Casey. Poor Casey. Sick Casey. Dying Casey.

Casey looked ghostly on the couch. Dark circles ringed his eyes like water rings, his cheekbones a bit too prominent. His arm was a puss purple color, dark red, almost black dots where the needle had infected him. Where the electric drugs had ripped through his veins and tore through his skull like rabid dogs.

"Case..." Heath touched his hand to Casey's cold face. "Why'd you do it?" his voice was barely a whisper. There was nothing. No response. No Brax. No Casey.

Just Heath.

Just Heath in this chilly living room with a skeleton.

"I don't know what to do." Heath muttered. He remembered being told to wait out Casey's relapses. Don't touch him. Let his body ride out the drugs. Whose stupid fucking idea was that? Casey's breath was shallow, his chest groaning and wheezing. Sweat trickled his forehead and top lip. He struggled a bit in his sleepless, unconscious state. Eyebrows scrunching together, he whimpered and whined.

"I..I don't know what to do, Case. I'm sorry." A whisper. Heath's head fell. Casey wheeze again, his hands twitching. He wasn't paralyzed anymore. He was a squirming worm stuck in the sun. It was hot. Too hot. Burning the inside of his chest like the time the restaurant burned down. Smoak was caught in his lungs. His throat was gasping at his unresponsive chest, pulsing and throbbing. Someone put out the fire! Someone help.

"Tell me what to do!" Heath cried again, helpless. He was in tunnel vision. The only thought was Casey. Casey. Casey. Casey. Not how to help. Not how to fix Brax. Only Casey.

The same Casey who suddenly struggled. He couldn't breathe. His eyes shot open in a soundless scream.

 **I hope this story turns into the Braxton-Brotherly Angst story you all are hoping for! Let me know if you listened to the music! How was it?**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so happy with the progress of this story.**

Chapter Three

Casey couldn't breathe

"Brax!" Heath shrieked, his bulky tattooed arms holding a struggling Casey down. Casey was writing against the pillows, his Adam's apple thick in his throat. A gurgling noise came from Casey's mouth and he struggled again. His cheeks were turning purple, huge veins bugging from his neck. Casey's head was tilted too far back, his eyes barely open. Only the whites shown.

"Brax help!" He shouted again, "Jesus come on, Case!"

Heath had pulled Casey up and into his arms. Casey's head fell back into Heaths shoulder. Mucus foam choked Casey, the clear white liquid trickling from his white lips. He whimpered, eyes now shut.

"You gotta breathe, Case. You gotta breathe." Heath took Casey's jaw in his hand and forced his mouth open. Casey's plugged lungs scrambled for air. Something was stuck in his throat and only slivers of air could force their way through.

"Brax he's turning blue!" Brax was not coming.

"Case pleeeeaaasseee." Heath shook him. It was an endless cycle of begging and not knowing what to do.  
Casey coughed weakly and Heath could feel his muscles relax in his arms. Casey's breath was a wheeze, but a wheeze was better than nothing.

"Cough it up, come on." Heath placed his palm on Casey's chest and rubbed in a circular motion. He didn't know if it would help, but it was always what Brax did when Casey was a kid. Casey let out a grunt and his unconscious-self spurt more foam. Heath grabbed a nearby towel he had intended for the beach, and wiped away Casey's spittle.

"That's it. Shhh." Heath used his dad voice, the same voice he used to comfort Darcy after a bad dream. More rubbing of Casey's back. More shushing and cooing. More of what Brax should've been doing. But there was still the cold bathroom floor. Always the bathroom floor. And a silent house.

Heath whispered into Casey's ear. "I've seen what life is like without you and i want no part of it. Stay."

 **Should Casey live or die? PLEASE REVIEW**


	4. Chapter 4

**What would you guys like to see in the following chapters?**

Chapter Four

A sleeping Heath rested his head on Casey's forearm. Casey was breathing easier and his chest was rising and falling faster than the setting sun. It was night time now. The bathroom had been cleaned around a stoic Brax and Casey had been accommodated to with blankets. The house was quite. But it didn't feel like home.

"Heath." A quiet voice. Heath started, thinking Casey had woken. The thin young man was still pale and sleeping. But, Brax stood in the hallway. Heath ran his hand over his face, wiping away the sleep.

"Heath, how...how's Casey?"

Heat said nothing. He rose to standing, eyes daggers. His lips curled and veins twitched in his forehead.

"He promised me." Brax spoke quiet, his eyes flickering from Heath to the couch to Casey.

"Why would he do that?" Brax was the child now. He stood there, 3 feet in front of Brax, eyes cast downwards. He said nothing about the bathroom, nothing about how he clocked out. He abandoned Casey.

Heath couldn't stop himself. He couldn't contain his rage.

"You never cared did you?" Heath's voice was nothing but a raspy whisper. Tears brimmed his eyes again but his pride denied the release in front of Brax.

"You never fucking cared!" Heath roared, lashing out at Brax. Heath's fist connected with Brax's jaw and before he knew it, Brax was on the ground. But Heath didn't care. He shrieked at the figure on the ground and the figure on the couch. Both his brothers. Both broken.

"He needed you Brax! I needed you." His voice cracked.

"Heath, I-"

"No, Brax! I don't wanna hear it! You always get on me back about being their big brother, but when the time comes you do nothing!"

"Heath!" Brax raised his hands in defense.

"I've been the big brother! I fixed him. Casey almost died! And you. Weren't. Here!" Heath pointed his finger at Brax with each word. Tears were streaking down both the grown men's faces. Pride was gone. Heath's chest heaved and Brax shook with remorse for his brother. Feeling as if the world was settling on his shoulders, Heath sunk to the floor. Just how he had in the bathroom next to Casey's lifeless body.

"I'm sorry." Brax sat parallel to Heath on the floor.

"I'm sorry, Heath. I never meant for this to happen."

Heath didn't answer. His watery eyes were fixed on Casey. He sniffed. He would be strong! He would not break down! Not again!

You could say Heath felt lonely. Betrayed. Maybe a little guilty. Sad. Angry. Scared. Scared. Scared. He gulped against the rising lump in his throat. He kept his eyes focused on Casey, holding his breath against the rising sob.

"Heath?" Brax crawled over and placed a hand on Heath's shoulder. Heath shook his head. Violently he nodded no, blinking away the ever growing tears. His throat ached. His head ached. His heart ached. Visions of a lifeless Casey flashed in his mind. It was too loud. It was shrieking in his brain. The good die young. The good die young. Casey dies young. Brax patted Heath's back again.

"Where were you?" Heath croaked out. He was tired. So tired. A sob tore its way up his lungs and out of his mouth. His head fell into Brax's chest and his tears soaked Brax's blue shirt almost instantly. Snot clogged his nose and tears blinded his eyes. He felt weak. But he'd rather feel weak in his brother's arms than deal with this alone.

"It's okay. It's okay." Brax muttered over and over, kissing Heath's messy hair. No one knew if Brax was talking to Heath or Casey or himself. But either way he was talking love. Someone groaned.

"What are you ladies crying about?" Casey was awake.

 **You guys asked for longer chapters. How did I do?**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _Previously_

 _"What are you ladies crying about?" Casey was awake._

 **Casey POV**

Someone was crying again. Why was someone always crying? He vaguely remembered yelling. Something hard hitting the floor. More yelling. More crying. Crying. Crying. Crying. Shut up, he thought.

His brow furrowed. It was dark. Were his eyes closed? There was a deep pounding at the back of his neck and his brain hurt. It felt as if his mouth was full of cotton balls. Forks were scrapping behind his eyes. Was he dead?

"Where were you?" Someone wailed. Well, not dead. Casey heard muffled people talking. Were they taking about him? Probably

What the _hell._

Casey tried to open his eyes but only saw black. He tried to ball his hands into fists but his fingers were still. He tried to kick his legs. They were weighed down with the world. He tried to take a deep breath in. His lungs wheezed and only a little air reached down his straw thin throat.

Help.

"Where were you?" He heard it again. Casey was starting to hate that sentence. The voice sounded close. Too close. If he could turn his head to look, he would. But he was a stone. The sounds were familiar. The voices were gruff and deep. Familiar. Familiar? Brax. If Casey could breathe, he would breathe with relief. Brax and Heath. His brothers. Come to save him. Knowing his brothers were so close, Casey furrowed his eyebrows again and screamed to open his eyes. Open. Open. Open! Heath! Brax! Help! They were so close to him yet had no idea he was awake. He was breathing. He was alive and his brothers were crying. If he could grunt in frustration, he would. Casey struggled and struggled until a sliver of violent white light slipped through his cracked eyelids. His vocal cords squeaked and squawked. His neck felt as if nails were piercing him. But he turned his head the same. He opened his eyes the same. He croaked out a sentence the same. For his brothers.

"What are you ladies crying about?" Casey was finally awake.

 **All POV**

Heath and Brax stared. Their eyes wide at the pale young man on the couch. Casey's skin was grey and pale. His eyes shallow.

"C...Case?" Brax's voice was quiet. He was still holding Heath to his chest. Casey nodded.

"Casey!" Heath jumped to his feet and practically dived onto his younger brother. Both large older brothers wrapped their arms around Casey, whispering loving words and cuss words at the same time. They were all smiles until there was a low moan from Casey.

"Ow ow ow." Casey was heaving again.

"Case?" Brax, being the big brother again, placed his large palm on Casey's cheek, "You alright?"

"Mm." Casey barely responded.

"Casey!" Heath stood next to Brax, his face crinkled with worry.

"I...I don't..." Casey trailed off. His small frame was shivering, his chest heaving with sweat. He shook on the couch.

"Cold."

"It's 90 degrees out. How can he be cold?" Heath asked Brax.

"Could be shock." Brax rubbed with hand across his chin in thought.

"Don't you clock out again." Heath pointed a thick finger in Brax's face. Brax shook his head.

"Never."

Casey shivered again, sweat now seeping through his grey tshirt.

"Here give him some water." Heath had ran to the kitchen and back.

"Will that help?"

"Who knows!" Heath yelled at Brax, "But we need to do something." Brax nodded and took the water bottle from Heath. He positioned himself behind Casey, lifting and shifting Casey until his head rested on Brax's shoulder.

"Case, I need you to drink." Brax placed the bottle to Casey's lips. Casey shook his head violently, pulling away like a child.

"Case, drink." Brax whispered. Casey sipped. "More." Brax said when Casey pulled away again, shutting both his mouth and his eyes. Nausea suddenly hit Casey like a wave he would surf. His throat constricted and his stomach lurched. Casey violently pitched himself to the side of the couch and retched over the carpet.

"Shit!" Brax and Heath shouted simultaneously. Brax rubbed his palm over Casey's back whilst Casey heaved and whimpered the little water he drank back up.

"Shh, shh, you're alright. You're okay Case." Brax held Casey. Casey was now limp in Brax's arms, wheezing and sleepy. He closed his eyes.

"Hey, Case." Tapping of the cheek, "Case wake up."

No.

"Don't do this..."

Casey just wanted to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all for so much support!**

Chapter Six

Casey groaned tiredly. He could hear Brax's voice in the background but he wasn't really listening. He wanted to sleep. He drifted in and out, his thoughts wandering along tapering memories. Casey started wondering about Dad. He remembered the first time he used, just hours after Dad had hit em. Brax didn't know. Brax never knew. Then he was thinking of Brax. God he loved Brax. And Heath. And this bed...Casey was floating.

Warm.

God it was so nice and warm...he didn't want to wake up just yet.

"Casey..."

Head a bit stuffy. Tired. Hurting. He probably was coming down with some damn cold, Casey thought.

"...please open your eyes."

No. Please just let me sleep a bit longer. 5 more minutes. No school today...

"You hear me?" Yes I hear you Brax shut up! Casey tried to say.

Brax slapped his cheek.

"Case?" Casey groaned. He tried to open his eyes but they were heavy. Too heavy. His eyelashes stick to his cheeks. It took at least five attempts before Casey could squint through his tiny lids. Brax was blurry but he could see tears in his eyes. Brax broke into a watery smile.

"You with us?

Did I go someplace? Casey only groaned in response.

"Looks like he is." Heath said. When did Heath get there!

Brax took a cloth and wiped away at Casey's mouth. I'm not a baby Brax! Casey thought. But he was too weak to pull away so he just nuzzled deeper into Brax's chest. Casey's eyes slowly drift up to Brax's face. He gave Brax a lopsided grin and loopy eyes.

"Good to see ya bud." Brax chuckled back. Heath took a seat at Casey's feet and patted his legs. Casey vaguely remembered not being able to walk. Was that real?

"What you thinkin Casey?" Heath asked. Casey blinked the memory away and simply shrugged. Well shrugged as much as he could stuffed between Brax and the couch.

"...love camping Brx!"

Casey could see a nervous glance from Heath to Brax and back again, but then both of them simply chuckled and went back to tending to him.

"Case?" Brax prodded.

"Mhm?"

"If you make it through this...I'll take you camping."

Casey's breath hitched, his eyes widening.

"Is that a deal, kid?"

Casey grins. Brax grins back.

"Then you keep fighting, you hear?"

Fighting. Casey could keep fighting. Although he couldn't remember what he was fighting for. Or where he was. Or how he got there. Or... His mind was fuzzy. It was difficult to separate his brother's voices from his own twirling thoughts. His burst of painless happiness was slipping and the pain had returned. His body cramped and shook as electricity shot through his nerves. Casey struggled to hold in a cry, but he did not succeed. He grips the hem of Brax's shirt, soaking it with new tears. And Brax holds him and Heath holds his legs in place so he he doesn't hurt himself. Casey she inches his eyes shut as sharp pains hit his chest, tearing up his arms and into his neck. He grips consciousness tight until he can't hold back a scream anymore.

"Shhh, shhh. Easy mate." Brax rocks him. "You'll be okay."

I'm sorry Brax...

"Hang on Case hold on."

I'm sorry Heath...

"Case you listen to me."

Casey wheezes a response. He felt strange, an odd fluttering where his heart used to be. He blinks. And blinks. And blinks rapidly.

"Case?" More tapping if the face. Always with the tapping. Stop.

Casey wheezes again.

Need...air.

He grabs Brax's arm anxiously, his eyes wide with fear.

"Casey what is it?" Heath again.

Casey gulps, chest heaving, ears buzzing.

"Come on Case breathe..." Brax is rubbing his back, Heath is coaxing him.

Black spots pop up in his vision and suddenly he's on the floor, Brax kneeling over him.

"Stay with us Case!" Heath yells as Brax puts his lips to Casey's cold ones. It would be disgusting if Casey could breathe. Casey is slipping.

"Keep your eyes open Mate!"

A breath is forced into his lungs.

"Don't you do this, Case!"

Pumping on his chest. One. Two. Three. Four.

Sinking. It's a calming feeling. Better than choking on the drugs in the bathroom. Better than vomiting over the couch. It was warm and dark and safe. Almost like falling asleep. If only Heath would stop yelling. If only Brax would stop beating Casey's chest.

"No Case! Breathe dammit!"

Breath. One. Two. Three. Four.

Casey couldn't hear anymore. He could only see his thick brothers above him, tears streaming down their faces, fear in their eyes. He can feel their hands on his neck, lifting him. Or dropping him. He couldn't tell.

...everything stopped.

 **How was that?**


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologize for my lateness - I am dealing with a death myself. But Wow thank you for all the wonderful support with this story!**

Chapter 7

 **All POV**

"We have to do something!" Heath was shouting again, "Call the ambulance."

"No! We can't...they'll take Casey away again."

"Brax! He's dying!" One. Two. Three. Four. Breath.

"Mate we just got him back."

Heath paused and stared at Casey for a moment.

"Call Nate then."

"No."

"Then call Ricky! Or Leah! Call someone. Brax he needs help!"

"Don't you think I know that! God uh..." Brax twirled his head around while still clutching Casey in his arms.

"Quick, hand me that dish cloth." He pointed to the damp rag on the kitchen sink.

"But it's all gross."

"Heath!" Brax shouted. He gripped Casey's jaw, shaking him and whispering.

"You wake up, Case. You hear me? Wake up." One. Two. Three. Four. Breathe.

Heath tossed Brax the cloth and Brax began to gently wipe away the remaining throw up from Casey's lips.

"Casey?" Brax whispered in Casey's ear. "You listen to me. You're gonna wake up. You're gonna wake up and we're gonna figure this out. Alright?" Brax paused as his voice broke. He was holding his baby brother in his arms. His dying baby brother. A loud sob choked out as Brax realized the depths of the situation. What if Casey died. How would he survive that? For as long as he could remember it had been Casey and him against the world. Sure there was Heath. But Heath was no longer his. Heath had his own family to care for and love. Casey was Brax's everything. If Casey was gone, who would Brax live for? He definitely couldn't live for himself.

Brax felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Heath with a sad look in his eye. Brax wasn't sure how long he'd been crying, not sure how long Casey had been lying limp in his arms.

"Casey is strong, mate. He'll make it." One. Two. Three. Four. Breathe.

"Don't you do this, Case! Don't you die." One. Two. Three. Four. Breathe.

 **CASEY POV**

Casey was in that place again. The dark, cold place. The same place he'd been in the bathroom and on the couch. He was tired of being in this place. It was nothing but black, yet he was still aware. He was simply wandering in a void that no one would ever find him in. It was stupid. He just wanted to die. He was tired of this damn void. No where to run. He couldn't go back to his brothers. But he couldn't die.

"Casey don't you do this!" Shut up voice in my head, Casey thought. There was a pounding on his chest. Maybe his heart? If his heart was on the outside breaking in. Casey knew he was dying. He had accepted it. But the monster beating his chest hadn't.

"You stay with me, you bastard."

"Just breathe. That's all you gotta do. Breathe. Breathe!"

There was more than one voice now. Begging him. Pleading him.

It was starting to sound like a bad romantic movie. Just let me die. More air was forced down his throat. He was guessing his lips were that gross blue-grey color now. More air. He would've choked if he was alive. But the air was useless. Nothing. He was nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Everything was repeating. The pounding on his chest. The fake air in his mouth. Brax crying. Heart screaming. He was floating, like he was riding the waves again. Floating. Or flying. Drowning?

A large gust of air came with a punch, and broke through the invisible rock in his throat. His back lifted off the hard floor, his mouth gapping life a fish. He took a huge gasp! Pain! So much pain. He wheezed, blind again.

"That's it! Come on back to us, bud."

Someone was holding him. But Casey was crying. Tears flooded his vision as he choked on the cool air. Another heave. Another wheeze. A hand on his face, tapping his cheek. Strong arms clutching him tight.

"Good. Good. Come on Case, come on back."

Casey could feel his body limp and hanging, his head on someone's chest. His limbs shook. Another cough.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Everything was repeating. Again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Any advice on loving someone who loves someone else? Please comment!**

Chapter Eight

"Load 'em up!" An EMT called, pounding twice on the back of ambulance. Casey was heaved into the back on a large stretcher. He was pale and sleeping, a thin white blanket covering his form. Brax and Heath stood back, hearing only snippets.

"Unconscious male - no response - CPR was preformed - quick, he's seizing!"

"What's going on? What's happening!" Brax and Heath were clutching each other now, so tight in each other's arms you'd think they were clutching to their whole world.

"Case? We're right here Case!"

They both rushed forward to join Casey in the van, but they were pushed back.

"I'm sorry sirs, there is no room."

"He's our brother!" Heath shouted, pushing the EMT.

"I understand that and you are welcome to ride alongside, but in order for us to save your brother you cannot ride along."

"What! No!" Brax struggled forward but Heath held him back.

"Let him go. Let him go, mate."

"I'm here! I'm here, Case!" Brax struggled against Heath again, crying again.

"Don't you let go!" Brax fought and fought against Heath. He sagged in his arms, heaving and choking and sobbing.

"Case.."

"He'll be alright. Okay I promise. I promise." Heath whispered into Brax's ear, holding him. Together they sank to the ground and watched the flashing lights carry away their brother. A quote flashed through Brax's mind as he lay on the floor just like Casey had. "When enemies are at your door, I'll carry you away from war."

"We're coming Casey." A whisper. All will be well.

 **I'm so sorry this is so short! A longer chapter next time I promise.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I can't express enough how grateful I am for these reviews. You are the best!**

Chapter Nine

Beep. Beep. Beep.  
A fuzz filled Casey's head. It felt as if he were floating on a cloud. He couldn't feel his arms or his neck or even the tongue in his mouth. There was no hitch of pain. No struggle to breathe. The ache in his chest he somehow knew had been there was gone. His eyes were closed peacefully, no blindness. No weakness. He gladly took a full, deal, heaping breathe. The sweet cool air tickled his throat. Everything was calm. Floating. Floating. Float-

"Casey?"  
Who was that?

"Case? Can you hear me?"  
Yes.

"Heath, go get the doctor."

Why was Heath here? Casey could vaguely hear loud footsteps leaving the room. He could vaguely feel a weight press down on whatever he was floating on. Was that a hand in his? Was someone stroking his hair?

"You're doing good, Case. You're doing good."  
When was I doing bad? Casey thought.

He felt odd. There was a heavy pull in his fingers but in the rest of his body he felt nothing. It seemed like he was missing something. Missing some crucial part of the story, but at this point he didn't care. This cloud he was in was calming, refreshing. He felt good. He settled further in, and took a deep sigh. Or at least tried. His lungs expanded like they were supposed to, but when the air reached his mouth, it fizzled and clogged. Someone thing was blocking his airway. His brow furrowed and he tried again. If he could cough, he would've. But once again he was blocked. He could vaguely feel some contraception over his face. Plastic? Metal? He moved his hand up to touch it, to remove it. But his arm was jerked back. There was something in his arm. He was trapped!

What the _hell_.

A groan escaped his lips. Although, he had no idea how. He couldn't breathe. Couldn't see. Couldn't get a breath in. Another groan.

"Case?"

Who was that?

"Case, it's alright. Settle down." He had begun to struggle. There was something in his throat now. He gagged on it, tried to take a breath, gagged again. He was drowning. Or suffocating. Maybe suffocating. He arched his back to get away from this monster trapping him.

"Heath! Help! Someone help!"

For God sake who was that? His eyelids fluttered. A rickety bubble of air popped in his throat.

"It's alright Case. Shh, shh." The monster was kind? "We need some help in here!"

 **We are nearing the end of the story, guys. How do you feel?**


	10. Chapter 10

Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in foreverrr. I've been slammed with work and school but I promise I will finish all my H&A fanfics. I won't let you down. Enjoy.

Chapter Ten

Brax's eyes were wide with fear. His hands covered his mouth as Heath ran in with the doctors. Casey, still stiff on the hospital bed, was shaking slightly. All the tubes Brax could imagine were sticking out of Casey. In his mouth, in his nose. It was hard to even see his little brother's face. A huge vein pulsed in his neck as he arched his back, monitors beeping.

"Help him! Help him please." He couldn't tell if he had shouted it or if Heath had. Maybe they'd said it together. Who knew.

"Quick he's crashing again." A female doctor said stern.

"He can't breathe!" Heath shouted! He was standing closer to Case than Brax was. "Casey!"

Heath reached for Casey's arm but a nurse intercepted him.

"Sir you can't be in here." Heath struggled.

"Do your job! He can't breathe! Do your job!"

"I'm trying to but you can't be in here. Please wait outside."

Monitors began beeping rapidly. Beep. Beep. Beep!

A wet choking noise cane from where Casey lay and as Brax looked over, bloody vomit and drool began to seep from Casey's mouth. It bubbled over the breathing tube and Casey convulsed. His free hand shook and tried to reach for his mouth but fell limp.

"Turn him on his side. Quickly!"

"Sir you need to get out of here! Now!"

"Help him! Please." Brax was muttering to himself, perhaps the use heard him. Maybe not. But he did nothing has Heath struggled and both of them were pushed out of the room. Heath must have been angry. He heard a few slurs and a definite punch to a wall but his mind was fuzzy. Blurry. Blank. Numb. Only until a rough hand on his shoulder pushed him down into a chair.

"He'll be fine Brax. Don't you worry."


End file.
